


Snapshots

by frymyrisole



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cameras, Luffy Being Luffy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24087967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frymyrisole/pseuds/frymyrisole
Summary: Local Man Finds Stranger Climbed Up A Phone Pole, What Happens Next Will Shock You.orSleep-deprived med-student Law is thrust into the cold outdoors with nothing more than a camera and Cora telling him to enjoy life, and bring a few nice pictures back home, for memories! And proof. He makes a little more than that.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 25
Kudos: 229





	Snapshots

**Author's Note:**

> Writing an 8k Lawlu fic in 2 days over some depraved need of Lawlu content? It's more likely than you think. Let me know what you think of the fic! And if you like Zosan, I recently posted a fic about them here on AO3 too!

His body is too taught and tired to even struggle as Cora’s insistent hands pushes him further and further away from the front door. The bright sun hits his eyes,and Law is once again reminded that he hasn’t even seen the light of day in at least a week. He shields his eyes,and for show,hisses in pain. He can just _feel_ Cora rolling his eyes behind his back.

“Yeah just combust into flames you hermit,at least then I’ll know that you’re actually alive.”

His shoes skid noisily with the concrete road outside their house until Cora finally gave him one last big push. Law stumbles and nearly falls on his face,catching himself on the last second. He whirls around and glares at him.

Cora-san raised his hands in assent. “See? You haven’t moved from your room for so long you’re losing your balance just from walking!”

“Cut the crap,” Law snaps. “Let me in Cora-san. I need to brush up the patient’s cases for tomorrow’s shift.”

“You’ve done that three times already,” He rebutted. “You’ve got it memorized like you memorize this cute face of mine.”

Law rolls his eyes when Cora gives his signature shit eating grin and peace sign. Then curses when the motion makes his already strained eye ache,and he massages his eyelids tiredly. “I’ve only _read_ it,I haven’t understood it,much less be ready for the attending doctor’s barrage of questions.”

“They only push you so hard because they hate how much smarter and more handsome the new recruit is,” Cora gushes, reaching forward to pinch his cheek. He doesn’t bother slapping his hand away, _not_ because he enjoys the cheeky affection. Perish the thought. “Besides, the only other option is to bully Chopper,and no one can bully Chopper.”

Law nodded solemnly. The last time one of their seniors tried to pressure Chopper,which in hindsight would have proved futile anyway since the kid is basically a walking medical book,they were the one reduced to tears in the face of Chopper’s innocent yet firm answers.

“I don’t want you crashing and burning before you can make it big,” Cora murmured. “You’ve got your whole life ahead of you.” He rummaged around the pockets of his hot pink pants and thrust something smooth and cool to his hands.

“...a camera?”

“It’s kind of old,but it works just fine,” Cora assured him. “Now go and take some nice pictures,smell the roses,whatever it is you young ones say these days. I’ll check those pictures when you get back,so I’ll know if you really walked around or not!”

“Your concept of relaxing sure is warped,” Law mused. “Giving me more work to do to avoid my original work load. Only you can come up with something so weird.”

"Well," Cora murmured quietly. "It's just...you'll be a full time doctor in no time,and we barely see each other as it is. I just want to have something to keep around that reminds me of you."

Law's throat itched and he inwardly groans. Why did he even bother anyway. He can never win with Cora. "Fine you sap. Go in first,and lock the door."

Cora rolls his eyes and obediently closes the front gate before making his way to the door. "There you worry wart."

"Close the damn door. I can't trust your bouts of absent-mindedness."

He eyes Cora until the older man relents and closes the door,whining all the while about not sending him off. Law sighs as he bounces the camera between his hands. The sooner he gets this done,the sooner he can get back to his cases.

His legs for lack of imagination,brings him to the shopping district. It's still too early for the buzz of the neighborhood to crowd the stores. Instead he's greeted with the waft of freshly baked bread from the local bakery,the damp dew of a florist watering her plants,and the bookshop employee sweeping his front porch. He belatedly realized Cora wanted pictures with him in it,but he was in no mood to capture his ragged self for future generations to see. Future generations meaning Sengoku,really. Cora has the tendency to overshare on his weekly outings.

It was,for a moment,blissfully calming. He notes how good the custard filled puff pastry looks from the display window as he takes a quick picture. He laments the fact that both he and Cora can’t quite get into bread. He takes a few more pictures after that,the flowers,a bike someone parked,the almost bloomed but not quite there yet sakura trees.

He managed to walk through the neighborhood for a good five minutes before exhaustion caught up to him and delusions started to play with his mind. Though he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why his delusions decided on a vision of a man climbing a telephone pole. He rubs his hands over his eyes. Maybe Cora was right,he truly did need a break.

Only even after he blinks,once,twice,three times the vision remains unchanging. Instead,he realizes with an impending sense of dread,the man was very much real. He had a red shirt on,unbuttoned despite the chill in the air. He even only had short loose jeans on,and even odder,a straw hat perched on the back of his head. He kept reaching his hand up,barely missing the top of the pole by his fingertips.

Law cupped his hand over his eyes,and stilled when he saw what was up there. An orange cat perched up the pole without a care in the world,staring down at the man silently. As if to tease him,the cat brushed it’s tail a couple of times against the man’s fingertips,only to pull it away at the last second.

He should just ignore this whole debacle and move on really. It’s not like he can help him from down here,and there’s no way in hell he’s going to climb up the pole for some cat. Instead,bemused,he lines his camera up and captures the ridiculous scene to laugh at with Cora. Only the camera shutter must’ve been louder than he thought,because the man snapped his head to his direction as soon as his finger left the shutter release.

Law set his camera down,mortified. “Sorry, that was rude. I’ll delete it if you want me to.”

The man pursed his lips,before giving him a mischievous grin. “Hey, you owe me for that photo,right?”

“I...guess?” He cleared his throat. He didn’t expect such an expressive person.

“Lucky! Hey,you got your wallet with you?”

He frowned. “Look I can just delete it,I don’t need it that bad.”

The man rolled his eyes. “Not to pay me you dolt. Buy me some dried sardines!”

Law glanced at the cat who remained blissfully ignorant to the distress of the humans around it and back to the man’s earnest eyes. “Fuckin...fine.”

He grinned and gave him a thumbs up. “Than-whoa!” He nearly lost his grip from the motion,and the man slipped precariously for a few inches. Law’s heart jumped and he unconsciously ran forward,hands outstretched. The man quickly found his grip on the slippery pole by hugging it bodily and sighed in relief. “That sure was close!” And,by now Law was ready to label this man insane,he laughed heartily as if he didn’t nearly fall to his death.

“You sure you want me to bring you sardines and not...like,a ladder?” He offered.

“Nah I’ll be fine,” He grinned. “You should hurry though,I’ve been holding on for nearly an hour!”

Insane. Psychotic. He hurriedly walks away. Who knows, if he stays any longer it might even be transferable. He rounds the street,walking towards the nearest mini market. He pauses near the glass door. He could just walk away. He could just round the street further away and go home. He’s walked enough anyway,and tangling himself with the monkey-like man on the telephone pole was bound to be more trouble than it was worth erasing his guilt.

He says as much to himself as he walks confidently moves forward,fully intending to pass the mini market. Only he blinked,and there he was greeted by the store’s clerk cheerfully as he passed through the premises. Law cursed himself as he trudged to the aisle he knew displayed a variety of dry snacks. He found himself staring down at the many varieties. He would just grab the cheapest one,but something tells him the haughty cat would never settle for anything but the best. 

He must’ve stood there for a while,glaring at dried sardines,because the employee peeked her head in to check up on him. Face flushed he grabbed a mid-grade brand and all but slammed down a few coins on the counter. The store clerk hurriedly rings him up and he walks out,ignoring her offers of breakfast bentos and a plastic bag.

He makes his way to the pole once more,and sighs when the man remains stubbornly clinging to it. He raises the dried sardine and shakes it to get his attention. The man glanced back at him and grinned. “Knew you’d come back! Open it up and give me a handful!”

Law tears it open with his teeth and obediently grabs a few. He paused. “How are you planning to take these from my hand?”

“How? Obviously you’ll jump!” He says like he’s stating the obvious. Law inwardly groans and tepidly approaches the pole. Up close,it looked more and more intimidating. The man must have amazing muscle strength to climb that high up and insane endurance to stay on it for so long. He had slid down just enough that Law’s hand could reach if he jumped really high.

He hopes with all his might no one was around to see him. He gritted his teeth and started jumping,hand outstretched to meet the man’s hand. Only he kept missing by the hair. He must’ve jumped at least ten times now. He clutched the pole in front of him,panting. The man frowned down at him,a slight pout on his face. “Wow,you suck!”

“Shut it you athletic monster!” Law yelled out. He made the mistake of glancing further up,and there the cat was lazily looking down at them. It mewled softly,and Law couldn’t help but translate that as a condescending meow. He took a deep breath. Stay sane,stay sane. He bent his legs as far as he could and with a loud shout jumped higher than he ever thought he could.

He felt the dried sardines slip away from his hand,and he landed on the ground with a satisfied grin. “Take that!”

The man in red snickered. “Good job!” He quickly climbed his way to the top once more,and despite himself Law held his breath when he teased the cat with the dried sardine.

The cat gave it a sniff and seemingly wrinkled it’s nose. Law felt his stomach drop. After all that? Was this cat serious? How high of a standart does it have? But then the man cooed at it,quietly coaxing it. It was a far cry from his boisterous personality.

The cat seemed to find it agreeable and finally scooted forward,reaching for the sardine. Entranced,Law watched mouth agape. With one swoop the man grabbed the cat,tucked it close,and unceremoniously jumped down.

Law had to walk back to avoid him. The man landed neatly and quickly bounced back as if he was made of rubber,and gave him the most sincere smile as he tucked the cat to his arms,the little gremlin munching on it’s conquest. “We did it!”

“Ah,yeah,good job,” He murmured back. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed. “Look I just wanted to apologize again.”

“Hm? Oh for the picture? Keep it I don’t mind,” He shrugged. “Besides I got back to you anyway.”

“Huh? Oh the sardines. I’m glad it actually worked.”

“Oh you haven’t figured it out? You’re not that smart huh!” He scratched the cat’s head and she purred,pawing him for more sardines. “But thank goodness you bought one she liked! Tangy here is a notorious picky eater.” 

Ha,he _knew_ it. And wait what did he mean he wasn’t that smart? He’s never had someone call him anything less than clever. Much less by a man with scantily clad clothes in the middle of spring.

“So I guess you could say it’s a team effort,” He grinned. “I’m Luffy,what’s your name, sardine expert?”

“Trafalgar Law.”

“Tra-trafal-Torao it is!”

“Sure,whatever you want,” Law sighed. “We even here?”

“Yup! Thanks again Torao!” He holds up the cat and makes it wave with its paw. “See you around!”

“Nope.” He answers back,with feeling,and walks (runs) away before he gets more involved with this man.

It wasn’t until he settled back on his bed,body aching from running around and jumping like a maniac that his eyes slid open,and he threw his pillow on the wall with a shout. “I could’ve just thrown the whole bag up to him,couldn’t I?!”

Cora banged the wall that separates their room. “Be quiet you brat it's the middle of the night!”

-

His next outing was not until next friday. He had mostly forgotten about the event suitably named The Pole Incident,though occasionally the annoyance seeps through at work,and to quote Chopper,"I never thought you could glare even more than usual!"

Cora had taken one look at him after a long shift,forced him to take a long hot bath,fed him a large helping of steak and mash potatoes,and unceremoniously booted him out of the house again. His stomach heavy with food,he turned his sights to the park to walk it off.

The sky was tinged with orange now. It casted a surreal light against the park. He takes a picture of the sky,with a cloud in the frame that looks oddly like Bepo,and a few snaps of the leaves with the light between them just right.

Law was heading down from the small hill he trudged up on when _it_ made itself seen. It being a sprawled out figure under a large tree,face covered up with a starwhat. He was wearing something red again,a t-shirt this time,and a pink version of his shorts. Everything about him screamed ridiculous.

He held his breath,and called out every stealth he had in him to tiptoe around. Only his feet stepped on a pile of leaves that haven't been sweeped away with a resounding crunch.

"Ah,is that you Torao?"

Fuck. He slowly glanced back,seeing that Luffy had tilted his straw hat down,peeking from it. "It is! Hey what's up Torao!"

He should just walk away. Really he should. But the shame of last week creeped up on him once more and he walked towards Luffy,putting on his fiercest glare.

Only,unshaken,Luffy simply smiled up at him unmoving from his spot. "Hey!"

"Don't you hey me," He spit out. "I know what you made me do last week."

"But you were so cool Torao! You jumped thisss high!" He laughed, throwing his hands up.

"Watch me land a punch on you and send you flying that high too."

"Oh a fight! That sounds fun!" He cheered. "Ah but I can't right now Torao! I'm working on something very important right now."

"Ah? Sleeping under a tree is your job? If you get paid to do that I'll punch you twice."

"Pft silly Torao," He snickers. "My job's way more exciting."

"Is that so."

"Yup! In fact,one of my clients will be walking by right about...now!"

Luffy snapped his head up and pointed across the street. Law followed his finger just in time to see a small white dog pass through and sat itself down near the park's bench.

"...you're seriously asking for a beating,you know that?"

"Wha-I'm serious! Chouchou there is my most loyal client!"

"A dog is your client?"

"Well,technically Mayor Boodle is my client. He pays me to look after Chouchou. He likes to walk himself everyday,and he refuses to let anyone put a leash on him,so I wait for him right here!"

Law hummed. "So you're a dog walker? A dog waiter?"

"Sometimes! I find lost pets too-that was when we saved Tangy from the pole!"

"Bribed more like,but I guess I get the picture." He glances at the dog across the street,who remained vigilant despite the many temptations. Some kids had passed by,petting him and throwing a stick to play with him. Still he remained silent until they grew bored and moved on.

"Well that's my story Torao,what's yours?" Luffy asked,finally sitting up.

"Oh no Starwhat,we're not doing this song and dance."

"I didn't ask to sing or dance," Luffy pouted. "Come on! We've met twice now without planning too,it's destiny or something."

"Or something," He repeated. "It's just a small town."

"It is kinda small. I'm pretty sure I've been through every inch of the city," Luffy admitted. "But that's just more reason to get to know each other! It's small,but the people here are all so interesting!"

"You sure are single mindedly pure."

"Oh how about this?" Luffy snapped his fingers. "If you don't tell me about yourself I'll march to the police station and tell them you've been taking pictures of me!"

He glared at the grinning man. "Did I say pure? I meant pure evil."

Luffy pat the spot beside him enthusiastically. He could argue some more,or you know,do the sensible thing and walk away. But Cora would be disappointed if he went back home so fast,and walking somewhere else was a pain. He gave up,and sat down.

"Three questions,then I'm going home."

"Aw,really?"

"Yes. Two more."

Luffy slapped his hands over his mouth comically. He couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "Ah! You smiled!"

He frowned. "No I didn't."

"Yes you did,Torao you tease!" Luffy whined.

"I didn't. Now hurry up,I wanna go back in time for dinner."

"Okay,okay! Let me think. Oh I know! What do _you_ do Torao?"

He looked endlessly proud that he managed that question. "I'm a student."

"What kind-AH. Um. Elaborate." He says stiffly motioning his hand.

"Hm. I'm a med student."

"What? No way! That's so cool!"

"It's fine," He shrugged. "It's interesting enough."

"Sometimes that's all it takes for something to stick." Luffy shrugged. 

Law looked onwards to the dog,now getting more and more sleepy yet stubbornly refusing to lay down. He can't say he would choose this career path,but considering how...calm he feels for the first time in weeks,he understands. It has its appeal.

"One last question."

"Argh! Wait let me think!"

He lets Luffy stew on it a while. He takes a deep breath,relishing in the fresh air. His head was spinning restlessly with the onslaught of new patients the hospital has been housing. He and Chopper had just been rotated to ER,and the concept of time there was warped.

It felt nice to not have to rush anywhere. Not to scan charts and notes in minutes but still have to spit out the appropriate operations and medicine in seconds. 

He glances at the dog again,only to find that it's fallen to its side. His eyes widened. "Straw hat!" Luffy looked up and gasped.

"Chouchou!"

They rushed forward,kneeling to check up on him. Only,the dog simply raised his head up from the noise,and growled under his breath. He and Luffy paused.

"...he was just sleeping?"

"Chouchou don't do that! You scared me!" Luffy huffed. "I guess you're more tired today huh? Should I take you home?"

Chouchou glanced at him,and stubbornly lied back.

Law snickered at Luffy's affronted look. "Sure am glad I didn't become a vet."

"I swear he's sweet! He walks this route every day because his owner died a few months ago. They go on walks every weekend,and I guess he didn't want to betray his owner's memories."

Law sighed. "What a romantic. If only he looked a bit cuter,he'd be the perfect actor for the next sob movie."

"You're being a real bummer there Torao,but you still have your camera out."

He startled and glanced at his hand. Fuck. He'd unconsciously pulled it out. Law glanced up and met Luffy's shit eating grin once more.

"Go on then,take it!"

His cheeks pinked. It was too late to save his dignity anyway. Might as well. He lined up the camera,making sure Chouchou was relaxed enough,and snapped the picture. It was,if he had to admit it,quite adorable. He looked much more soft,more like a puppy,sleeping blissfully without a frown on his face.

The sunset casted a nice shade to his fur and the grass around him. He hears Luffy snicker next to him and he glares at him.

"I only did it because you told me too."

"U-huh."

"I was just taking it out."

"Sure,Torao."

The teasing tone of his voice grated him. "Whatever. One question hurry up."

"Oh right! Hm. Then,do you like taking pictures?"

Law wrinkled his nose. "That's your last question?"

Luffy nodded. 

"You're really weird,you know that?" Scarily he's ceased to imbue the sentence with spite. Dare he say it was nothing more than exasperation.

"Answer the question!" He whined.

Law sighed,reaching forward to scratch Chouchou by the back of his ears. The dog stirred,but let him be. Luffy gave an audible gasp.

"He lets you pet him? Chouchou we've known each other for years now! You bite me when I so much as breathe in your direction."

Chouchou gave him a soft woof. He snickered,petting Chouchou with more scratches. "I only did it because someone told me to."

"Really? But you looked so earnest."

"I seem to look a lot of ways to you," He rebutted. He gave Chouchou one last scratch before getting up. "Alright that's all the time I have."

He felt a tug on his shirt and he traced it back to Luffy. "What now?"

Luffy grinned. "Wanna walk back Chouchou with me?"

They walked back Chouchou together. Law can already feel it,strings attaching to him,making him more and more pliable to Luffy's whims. He thinks it's too late to try and cut them off. (He thinks he might not even mind it anymore).

They drop him off at a pet shop,where a man he knew to be Mayor Boodle. He greets them with a lazy wave and bends down to greet Chouchou,only to have the dog's teeth latch onto his hand.

He laughed boisterously. "Spunky as ever. Thanks again for today Luffy!"

"Anytime!"

The mayor glances at him and gives him a look over. "What's this Luffy? You have an assistant now?"

"No I'm-"

"Nah old man he's my friend!" Law stills. Huh.

"Ah,yes,more strays," He wiggles his eyebrows in an inside joke...with himself probably. "You always pick up the most good looking ones."

"I know right!" Luffy laughs,slapping a hand on Law's back. He stumbles,both from the force and the comment. "He's so cool! Really smart too,ah but he's kinda dumb sometimes."

"Oi."

Mayor Boodle chuckled. "Blunt as always. Ah it's getting dark,get home safe alright? Give my regards to your brothers."

"Will do!"

Luffy waved them goodbye and they continued walking together. Finally they arrived at a crossroad. Law pointed to the left. "I'm over there."

Luffy pointed to the right. "I'm over here!"

They stood awkwardly in the middle of the road. Finally Law cleared his throat. "Bye then."

"Bye!"

Hm. Suddenly he wrapped a hand around Luffy's wrist,stalling him.

Luffy peered up at him,confused. "What's wrong Torao?"

"...give me your phone number."

"Eh?"

"Just give it!"

"But I don't have one."

-

Law stormed inside the house,ignoring Cora's questions as he slammed the door to his room shut. He threw himself on the bed and buried his head on his pillow,screaming.

-

"Aw Law what a cute dog you found," Cora cooed. "But this boy with a straw hat,you've shot him twice now. You know him?"

"No. Consider him dead."

"IS THAT WHY THERE'S A HAT OVER HIS FACE?"

-

The next time they met,they hunted a cow. In the middle of the city. Because why not. He gave Luffy a withering gaze but the pet hunter remained vigilant. He had a lump of grass in each hand,and occasionally moo in a general direction.

"Who even _owns_ a pet cow?"

"Well technically Arlong does,but then he went to jail for embezzlement and all that. The cow was some inside joke or something,like a cash cow? I don't get it but Nami does."

"Whoa you're name dropping a lot of people. Arlong the criminal that has even the chief of police deep in his pockets? You know _that_ Arlong?"

"Duh. I beat him up."

Law rubs his forehead. "Course you did. And why did you?"

"He made Nami cry."

"Huh," He mused. "Is this Nami the infamous cat burglar then?"

"Yeah! Boy she's famous huh. She owns the cat,Tangy!"

"It all makes sense now." Law drawl out.

They walk past the local campus soon enough. He eyes the familiar looking building. "You don't think a cow is hiding in there,are you?"

"Nah,Moomo's a coward. It likes to hide away from crowds."

"And we're here in the most crowded area why?"

"Ah that's because someone very special is here."

They walk the path to the back of the campus Law remembers leads up to an olympic size pool. He hears giggles and splashes and he peeks through the area with dread.

A cow. Is inside. The pool. Swimming. With a pink-haired student.

"What is your _life_ ,Strawhat?"

"Yo Weakhoshi!"

She yelps and quickly clutches Moomo close. "L-Luffy-sama! Oh no!"

"Yeah playtimes over okay? He needs to see the vet already!"

Weakhoshi (?) sobbed and clutched the cow close. "But he's so scared! He told me how much it hurts to be prodded with needles and stuff!"

The cow actually moo'ed pitifully. It almost sounded sorrowful.

Luffy groaned, mushing up his hair. "But he needs to get checked up if he wants to stay in the city!"

"But Luffy-sama," She laments. "Moomo isn't sick! He's healthy and energetic like always! We swam three laps just now!"

Law clasped Luffy's shoulder. "I got this."

"Huh? Oh okay!"

Weakhoshi yelped when he stepped closer. "W-whoa! Tattoos! Ah-sorry that was so rude aaa!" She yelped,hiding her face against Moomo's body.

"It's fine,I know it's a little much. What's your name miss?"

"Oh! It's Shirahoshi."

"I'm Law. I'm a doctor."

"Huh? You're a doctor and the law?" She repeats,a furrow on her eyebrows.

"...nevermind. Look you're sure this cow is healthy right?"

"Yeah!"

"Then there's nothing to be afraid of. If his vitals are good and he's eating well,he wouldn't need any invasive procedures."

Shirahoshi gasped. "So no needles?"

"Nah. He'll be in and out faster than a burger."

Luffy laughed,clutching his stomach. "Hear that Moomo? Faster than a burger you lump of meat!"

The cow's ears flickered and then slowly it drifted back,and swam full speed to the other side of the pool.

Shirahoshi yelped as the water hit her head on. Luffy only laughed harder when Law slowly ran a hand over his wet...everything really. Beef. Beef for lunch. Beef for dinner. Let's single-handedly eat the population of cows.

Luffy ends up wrestling the cow to the surface. Eventually he ends up on top of Moomo to prevent him from escaping. Law had taken one look at the cow's defeated face and took burst shots immediately. He will live vicariously through the pictures.

Shirahoshi quickly surfaced as well,and Law had to crane his head up when she apologized profusely and offered him and Luffy a dry towel. They patted themselves down hurriedly before the cold seeped in. He ruffled his hair vigorously with the towel and glanced back to see how Luffy was doing.

His eyes traced over his still dripping hair,down to his discontent face,and oh. That's right. Luffy had worn a white singlet today. And it was nearly translucent from how wet it was. He growled and shrugged off his jacket,forcing a pliant and confused Luffy in it.

"Huh? What's this?"

"Just wear it," He gritted out. "Now where are we dropping off the mincemeat?"

Moomo moo'ed fearfully. Luffy patted him from his perch on the cow's back. "Vivi's a few blocks from here."

He assumes Vivi was the vet then. They make their way across campus after waving goodbye at Shirahoshi,who still teared up even at the end. "She sure is a crybaby huh."

"Oh you bet," Luffy snickered. "But she can be really cool too! You should see her on Sundays,she's a mermaid in the aquarium."

"A mer-oh you mean a fake one right?"

"Looks real enough to me!"

They walk through the streets like that,earning glances and giggles along the way. Someone was even brave enough to ask for a picture,but Law's glare was enough to deter that. Eventually with some hassle of crossing the street and Moomo nearly bawling over the neighborhood chihuahua barking,they arrived at a clinic.

It had a large open space in the back where Law could hear ducks pattering about. A blue-haired woman slammed open the door and grinned at them. "Moomo! You're here!"

Moomo did not see her. No,he had a sudden illness that only made him able to see upwards to the sky,where he probably wishes he could fly too. 

"God you're such a brat," She says fondly. She turned to Luffy and gave him a fist bump. "Thanks for this Luffy! I'll take it from here!"

"Yeah,thanks Vivi!" 

She glances at him as if only noticing him. "Oh hi! And who are you?"

"Trafalgar Law."

"Ah,are you Luffy's friend?"

"Yeah!" Luffy interrupted once more. "He's great!"

"Cool! You're welcome to my clinic if you need anything,any friend of Luffy is a friend of mine!"

And then,they were off once more. They were still dripping wet,making tracks of water on the street. Luffy sighed,his face pinched. "I hate getting wet. Torao let's stop by my house and dry our clothes!"

He said it in a no-nonsense way and soon they walked to a housing district. One in the nice part of town,actually. He eyes the house in front of them and whistles lowly. "Being a dog walker sure pays well."

"Nah it's kind of shit," He snickers as he fumbles with his keys. "But it's super fun. Once someone lost a dog worth 50.000 yen. Bought a lot of meat with it!"

Finally the door opened and Luffy ushered him in. His first thought was,ah this is a home. Pictures were plastered all over the wall and framed neatly on tabletops. It wasn't hard to discern the grinning black-haired boy with a loose tooth to be Luffy. Most of them were taken with a blonde boy and another black-haired one, though much taller and older than Luffy.

The pictures evolved over time. There was Luffy in his day school uniform,clutching the blue uniform like it offended him. There was the blonde and the older black haired one in a high school uniform,arms around each other and a grin on each face.

Then there was one with Luffy himself in the same uniform,shirt brazenly unbuttoned and throwing a peace sign at the camera while clutching a graduation certificate. And surrounding him were unfamiliar faces,all equally happy. Ah,one was scowling though,and a blonde wasn't looking at the camera.

"That's my crew!" Luffy said proudly. "That's Nami! There's Zoro,Sanji,Robin,Franky,and that's Vivi! We all went to school together. Ah but there should be one where there's all of us. Somewhere."

"Huh." He could tell from just a glance how close-knitted they were. Every single body language in the photo was leaned towards Luffy,as if they couldn't help but be attracted to him. He could...sympathize.

He felt a tug to his hand and he obediently let himself be directed to the back of the house. The washroom was small but spacious enough for the two of them. And then without prompt,Luffy began stripping.

He turned around with a groan. "Warn a guy you dumbass!"

"Aw don't be shy!" Luffy laughed,tugging the back of his shirt. "Come on,you do it too! It's weird being the only one shirtless."

"As if it wasn't weird enough…"

But the tug continued and Law shrugged off his shirt with a snarl. Luffy readily grabbed them and chucked all of their clothes in the washer.

"Uh,what was the setting for a dryer again?"

Law sighed and shoved him off. "Move over."

He set the timer for five minutes and they glanced at each other. This close,Law could see how built Luffy was. It was evidently years of working out and training. But more prevalent was the scar across his chest that he didn't notice before.

Luffy saw him eye it and grins. "Curious Torao?"

"..."

"I'll tell you if you answer my questions again!"

So they settled on the wooden floor and sat side by side,watching the machine whirl around. 

"It was a fire. A pretty bad one. I was stuck under a falling beam. I managed to crawl out,but my brothers bursted in,trying to rescue me. The fire burst out not long after. My chest got hit from the flare. Sabo-ah that's the blonde one-he got burned in one of his eyes," Luffy pointed at one side of his face solemnly. "Thankfully Ace only got blown away in the blast. He single-handedly carried us both out."

Law bit his lip. That was more grim than he thought. "You have great brothers."

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned. "Sabo and Ace are the best."

They settled into quiet after that. Law glanced at Luffy's twitchiness and sighed. "Ask your question,Strawhat."

"Oh thank God. Your tattoos-why did you get them?"

"Thought you might ask that. The heart patterned ones,I got it as a group actually. What did you name them earlier? Your crew? Yeah mine got super drunk and sappy and forced each of us to get matching tattoos."

Luffy gasped. "Matching tattoos! I should make them get that too!"

The mischievous in his eyes made Law fear for Luffy's friends,and silently sent them an apology. "As for the death one,I got them after...I lost my family."

If it were anyone else,Law wouldn't be this pliable to opening up. No one knew what his tattoo meant,no one other than Cora who silently accompanied him to the parlor that day. But with Luffy,somehow he knew he could confide in him. He would take care of it.

"Oh," Luffy murmured. "That's...really brave of you."

"Brave? Oh it didn't hurt that much. I just numbed it with a lot of booze."

"Nah. The fact that you proudly and clearly bring that burden with you everywhere,you're really earnest after all Torao."

"Hn." He grunted back. He didn't really know what to say back. Thank you? You're embarrassing? Do you say that to just anyone? He slapped his cheeks. Luffy startled beside him.

Then when the lull continued,Luffy asked tentatively,"Can I touch them?"

"...sure."

He cheered and unashamedly took one of his hands. He let it limp and be manhandled. Luffy peered at his fingers with awe. He traced his fingers over Law's knuckles,admiring each letter. His throat suddenly felt very dry.

Bored,Luffy moved on to the palm of his hand. He compared their hands together,laughing when his hands looked dwarfed to how long Law's fingers were. And then,he curled his fingers in and clasped it to Law's.

"...satisfied?" He asked,voice more pitched.

"Yeah!" Luffy answered back.

"Let go then."

"Aw," Luffy pouted. "Just for a little while."

"Let go," He repeats. "It's my turn."

Luffy tilted his head,but obediently pried his hand away. His hand freed,he flexed them once,twice. Then he glanced at Luffy's scar. "Can I? I've never treated a burn patient before."

Luffy shrugged. Tentatively,as if afraid to hurt him,he brushed his fingertips on the scar. Luffy shivered. Law despaired.

When Luffy didn't protest he grew bolder. Huh. It healed over well,the skin knit close as good as brand new. But it was still tinged pink. "Do you put ointment on it every day?"

"Sometimes…" Luffy trailed off in a daze. 

"You should do it more often or it won't heal well."

"It's fine,scars are cool right? And it's proof of our brotherhood!"

"Hm."

There was no need to keep touching him,but Law didn't stop and Luffy didn't protest. As if on schedule a second later the glass door slides open,and the man Law knew to be Sabo ratted off,"Luffy? You're home already? Why is the washer on-"

And that's how his life flashes before his eyes just as Sabo settled his eyes on the scene,and raised his cane up high with an inhuman screech. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BROTHER YOU PERVERT."

He collapsed with a thud.

-

He pressed a bag of frozen peas to his injury,head-spinning as the two brothers argued.

"I'm calling Ace! I'm calling him right now!"

"Don't! He'll actually kill Torao!"

"I'M KILLING TORAO WITH HIM TOO!"

"AH DON'T CALL HIM TORAO THAT'S MY NICKNAME!"

He slammed the peas on the table. The brothers flinched and stilled. "Everyone shut the fuck up and sit down."

They sat down. He pointed at Sabo. "I wasn't molesting him. I was checking his scar."

"You-you looked way into it! And no way the scar is that interesting to touch for so long!"

"How would you know how into it I was?" He rebutted. "And how would you know how long I was doing it for? You took one look at me and knocked me out."

Sabo wilted,tracing his finger on the dining room tabletop. "I guess…"

He pointed at Luffy next. "Explain things more clearly. You'll send your brother to an early grave."

Luffy pouted. "Fine."

Sabo leaned back to his seat when Luffy finished ratting off their story. He nodded slowly. "So you've been on dates."

"Hah," Law says. "That's gold."

"Where?!"

"I'm serious. What,you don't think my brother is good enough for you?" Sabo exploded once more.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID I WAS A PERVERT AND THAT I MOLESTED YOUR BROTHER."

"WELL I SEE NOW THAT HE LIKES YOU TOO,SO TAKE HIM OUT ON A DATE YOU FUCK."

"IT'S NOT UP TO YOU,IT'S UP TO HIM."

They whirled around to Luffy. "WELL?"

He blinked. "Uh. What do you do on dates?"

Sabo blinked. Then flushed. Then groaned. 

"We go out,we talk,we eat I guess," Law listed off. "Then I take you home."

"Home?!" Sabo repeated,aghast. "You're that slick?!"

"Oh," Luffy mulled it over. "That sounds fun. I haven't eaten with you yet Torao."

"Mm."

"Oh then can I kiss you afterwards?"

"...yeah."

"Cool! I always wanted to try kissing."

Sabo grabbed his cane. Law grabbed the peas.

And then fire fist Ace,the firefighter with more decorated medals than even a veteran walked in. His helmet dropped slack from his fingers.

"Who the fuck is kissing Luffy?"

One rendition of their meet up later,Ace stared down at him. "Well. I can see Luffy likes you."

"I do!"

"And he's always adopted good strays."

"Strays…?" He trailed off.

"Nami,Zoro,Sanji,Brook,Franky,Robin,Chopper,Jinbe most recently too."

"Wait Chopper?" He repeated. "You know Chopper?"

"Yeah! He ran away from home so I chased him down!"

"...course you did."

"He's had a perfect record so far,"Ace shrugged. "So if he trusts you then so do I."

"Ace?!" Sabo squeaked out.

"But," He smirks,banging his fist down on the table. It cracks in half. "That doesn't mean I'll give him away that easily!"

Law looked to Luffy. "Friday next week,7 pm?"

"Sure! Let's meet up at the Baratie."

"French. Fancy." Then he upturned the table and ran,shirtless and all.

"BYE TORAO!" Luffy shouts out from the doorway. He waved without looking back.

"YOU'RE DEAD TRAFALGAR!"

-

Cora yawned as he walked out the kitchen a mug of tea in his hand. He glanced at Law’s state of undressed and audibly gasped. He pointed at him shakily. “Walk of shame!”

“I hate this household.”

“Shame! Shame! Shame!”

-

He tugged at his navy blue collar uncomfortably. It was...stifling to say the least. Baratie was a french restaurant already on review for a Michelin star,but it promoted itself as a casual dining place for anyone to enjoy and discover the cuisine. Any other day he’d probably enjoy himself here. The decor was warm and inviting,the booth he and Luffy sat in overlooked a large window overlooking a small garden outside the restaurant.

Yeah,if it wasn’t for the obviously disguised pair of brothers breathing down his back over there,he might’ve even said it was a perfect place for a first date. He buried his head into the menu,groaning. Luffy glanced up from the free bread he’d been munching on with a concerned gaze. “Torao?”

“Don’t mind me. You know what you want to order yet?”

“Nah I never order here.”

Just as he opened his mouth to ask,a glass of water was slammed down in front of him. Impressively not a single water splashed from the motion. He followed the hand clenched around it,up to an arm covered with a white shirt,and up to a curly eyebrow. 

“Sanji.” He gritted out.

“You know my name at least,” The blonde smirked,blowing a cloud of smoke his way. Law faced it unflinchingly. He _refused_ to cough. “That makes it easier. You know the usual sthick. You break Luffy’s heart,I’ll make every restaurant in Japan refuse to serve you.”

“Just Japan?” He challenged.

“You won’t get far with broken legs. Oh, that’s the marimo’s part though.”

“Sanji,” Luffy said,voice muffled from the bread he stuffed in his mouth. The word _Chipmunk_ flashed by. And then,with some horror, _Alvin_. “The bread’s really good today.”

“Yeah?” Sanji beamed,ruffling his hair. “I’ll get you some more. You’ll let me serve you again right?”

“Mhm,” He nods. “Anything you cook is delicious.”

Law pointed at the menu. “I want the fish with-”

Sanji yanked the menu from him. “Sure thing esteemed customer!”

He shifted in his seat,glancing at a still busy eating Luffy. Ace and Sabo glare growing heavier and heavier. Irritated,he sets to mess with them. He leans forward,and gently brushes the crumbs on Luffy’s cheeks. From afar,he knew it set off all kinds of imaginary scenes. The clatter of utensils falling to the floor had him smirking. 

“Is it that good?”

“Yeah,try some!”

“Nah,I don’t like bread.”

A plate slammed down in front of him and he flinched back to avoid it. He glanced down at the onion soup and wrinkled his nose. “I didn’t order this.”

“Here Luffy,” Sanji set a plate gently. “Steak au poivre,with a nice helping of cream sauce,and of course fries.”

Luffy grinned hugging Sanji by the waist. “You’re the best Sanji!”

The cook threw him a smug look. Law held his tongue from sticking it out. He heard snickers from behind him and he threw the stooges a glare. They simply adjusted their fake beard,and really? They couldn’t have gotten one that matched their hair color? And ducked their heads down.

Fine. As if he couldn’t call for backup.

He texted his group chat with one hand under the table. Then he pockets it and sighed in exasperation when Luffy struggled to bite through the steak. He reached forward with a fork and knife and methodically cut them to even bite sizes,and Luffy munched on the broken off pieces with a hum. “Torao you’re so good with a knife!”

He twirled the steak knife,pleased. “I’m a surgeon after all.”

Law didn’t even look up when minutes later the restaurant’s door slammed open. Shachi,Penguin,Jean Bart,Ikkaku,Uni,Clione walked in like they owned the place. Trailing behind them was Bepo,who tried with all his might to appear intimidating. It might’ve worked if he ditched his bear ears.

Sanji took one glance at them from the bar and smiled,throwing the knife he was holding to the cutting board. It pierced in with ease. “Oh it’s on.”

A phone call later from the snail like phone embedded to the wall,a crowd of people he’s identified as Nami the cat burglar and Zoro breaker of legs strode in. Followed soon after was Robin all smiles,Franky scantily clad in swimming trunks,Brook a man with an afro large enough to touch the ceiling,Usopp who cowed behind Zoro breaker of legs,and finally his saving grace,Chopper.

“What’s this about a pervert trying to take Luffy’s hand in marriage!” Nami boomed. “Step up right now you ass!”

“Why should he!” Shachi shouts,always has been his favorite. “It’s your Luffy that seduced him into this like a harlot!” Scratch that.

“What?!” Usopp shouted,waving his fist. “I’m not letting you talk about Luffy like that! Zoro,sike him boy!”

“Keep that up and I’m defecting.” Zoro droned on,though his hand settled on the kendo sword on his back.

“If you want our captain I propose a fair crew to crew brawl right here,right now!” Franky shouted,posing with his arms held high. “Fight to the death,I say,solves everything!”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself!” Ikkaku shouted,and ah that’s one leg up the table.

“Fight you say?” Zoro smirked. “Come at me all at once you shits!”

Robin had grown bored and trailed off to the other side of the restaurant,pawing Bepo’s bear ears gleefully. “Very cute!”

“A-ah! I won’t be charmed by the enemy!”

Brook had walked to the piano up in the restaurant’s stage and had already started a jazzy tune. “Yohoho! Allow me to serenade this fight with a music that ignites the soul! Not that I-hm wait.”

Law felt a tug on his shirt and he glanced down to a sheepish looking Chopper. “For what it’s worth Law,I know you’re a good guy! Everyone knows it too,Luffy’s been so happy lately. He’s been going to more and more jobs. It’s just they-well we really care about him,y’know?”

He sighed,weak to Chopper. “You’re the genius after all,” Chopper blushes at the praise,slapping his shoulder over and over. “So I’ll trust you as always.”

“D-don’t think buttering up to me makes me happy!”

Sanji had piled up snacks for everyone,grumbling about not being able to let anyone stepping in the restaurant go hungry,even if they were the spawns of the pervert trying to seduce Luffy. In the chaos,Ace and Sabo’s view of them were completely obstructed. Law smirked and reached forward to take Luffy’s hand. It was a bit greasy from the fries,but bearable enough.

Luffy squeezed back his hand with a grin. “I’m glad everyone’s getting along!”

Law sighed. “At what cost though,at what cost?”

“Aw don’t worry,I have a backup on my own!”

And then the door opened to a man with his hair tied up and flowing down to long curls. He took one look at the chaos and crossed his arms. “Go ahead Luffy,I’ll handle this!”

Law felt a tug to his wrist,and they were off running so fast it felt like they were one with the wind. He heard distant shouts of protest from Ace and Sabo rebutted by Jinbe’s calm, no-nonsense voice.

“Where are we going?” He shouted forward.

Luffy glanced back at him and grinned. “On an adventure,duh!”

-

Cora clutched the picture and sobbed,plastering himself over Law’s shoulder like a koala. “Awmshgherkfks!”

“Speak clearly you cry baby!”

“But-mshfhkdklf-you look so happy! And look how many friends you made! Law-I just-” He broke off,sobbing about children growing up so fast and how he was going to go grey soon like Sengoku.

Law glanced at the developed photo and rolled his eyes. He’s glad he passed the camera to Penguin secretly at the restaurant,if it made Cora this happy. He tapped the image of a grinning Luffy surrounded by his arguing friends hugging him close,and where he remained stoic backed by his own group of friends,with Jinbe scolding Ace and Sabo at the very back. 

It would make a nice addition to his ongoing album of photos.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Follow me @frymyrisole over at twitter!
> 
> Ah, I didn't even get to tell how Luffy tracked down Laboon after Brook serenaded him over a cruise ship he worked for as a musician, or Franky having sea kings as pets. Oh well, the headcanon lives on in my head.
> 
> Thank you for reading this far!


End file.
